The invention relates to a device to allow or prevent passage of a small animal into or from a designated. area: such devices are generically referred to as "Cat Ports", and are generally provided in a door or wall of domestic premises to enable a domestic animal (usually a cat) to enter and leave the premises at will.
Conventional cat ports are generally of the kind comprising a flap pivotally mounted in an opening which is of a size sufficient to allow passage therethrough of the small animal. The flap is usually mounted for movement about a horizontal pivot axis extending through an upper part of the opening, parallel to the plane of the main door or wall, in a manner such that the flap will drop under its own weight into a generally vertical disposition to close the opening, but such that it can be moved, by pressure applied to a lower part thereof, in either direction to allow the small animal to pass to and from the domestic premises.
Whereas it is normal to provide a manually operated lock on such a cat port, to be effective the flap must be capable of being lifted by the small animal as and when it pleases. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for neighbouring cats, particularly strays, to learn to use the cat port, and follow a cat through the port into the domestic premises. This can have undesirable consequences.